


You're like a ghost

by sweaters_and_tea



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universes, Fix-It, Gen, I cried for like an hour after finishing this game, Not as in the story is an AU but characters from different endings of the game meet, Spoilers, post-Panam ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28121325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweaters_and_tea/pseuds/sweaters_and_tea
Summary: ...how you're everywhere.Johnny, having been inhabiting V's body for the past few weeks, has finally decided to escape Night City. However, upon waking up, he finds himself somewhere unexpected, and meets the one person he never expected to see again.Spoilers for several of the endings!
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand & Female V
Comments: 5
Kudos: 83





	You're like a ghost

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from Samurai's "Never Fade Away"

Johnny’s smile faded as the bus continued on its path away from Night City. As exhilarating as finally leaving that damn city behind for good was, he couldn’t help but think about the reality of his situation. Inhabiting a body not his own, forever running from the memory of someone he’d come to truly care for, possibly for the first time in his life. V had done so much for him, and how did he repay her? By taking her body and leaving her to Alt’s tender mercies. And he couldn’t even fulfill V’s dreams of becoming a legend. Especially now, he found he was sick of the legendary life and all the misery it brought. He had no idea what he wanted from his second chance, no purpose, no goals, but he at least knew what he  _ didn’t  _ want. Even if it felt more like running away than anything else.

He sighed and repositioned himself, still not used to V’s slighter frame. As he moved, he caught his reflection staring back at him. Or rather,  _ her _ reflection. For all that he’d gained some measure of closure after visiting her niche, V’s loss still sat heavily in his stomach. And how was he to move on when it was her face staring back at him every time he looked in the mirror? He had been prepared to die, ready to make that sacrifice so that V could return to the life he stole from her the second that chip entered her head. But he hadn’t counted on her stubbornness, even though he should have known better. V always seemed to surprise him, for good or for bad. God, he hoped she had found some measure of peace at least. 

As the sun set and the bus continued ever on into his uncertain future, Johnny felt his energy waning. It had been a long, emotionally exhausting day. Maybe taking a bus was the wrong decision, as he had nothing to occupy himself except his thoughts. As his eyelids drooped, he decided to give in to the sleep pulling him under, in the hopes he could escape his thoughts running wild through his head.

Finally, his eyes closed.

And then they opened.

* * *

As Johnny’s eyes opened, he was immediately aware that something was off. The hum of the bus was absent, as was the cool feeling of the side of the bus against his body. The strangeness jolted him fully to awareness, and he looked around to find himself sitting in a booth in a strange diner. Outside was a small, dingy looking town, with miles of empty plains stretching around it. The diner was similarly run-down, with a few tired, rough looking patrons nursing mugs of coffee. The sound of the kitchen clanked in the background, and a scratchy radio played soft music that blended in with the hum of soft conversations.

As Johnny took in his surroundings, a woman wearing an apron and a name tag that read  _ Brenda _ walked up to the table.

“Hey, can I get anything for you? Maybe refill your coffee?” She asked with a smile, nodding to the empty mug sitting on the table that he hadn’t noticed.

“Sure. Where am I, anyways?” Johnny asked with the familiar dual tones of his thoughts and V’s voice flowing out of his mouth. 

The waitress gave him a strange look as she reached behind his booth for the coffee pitcher sitting on a hot plate.

“You don’t know where you are after having been sitting here for hours? You’re in Gila Bend, about a hundred miles outside of Tucson. You alright?” She asked, pouring his coffee.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just been a long few days, uh, driving. Scrambles your head, you know?” He said, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Sure, honey. Just let me know if you need anything else,” She said, before walking away.

Gila Bend? Where the fuck was that? Johnny sighed and took a long gulp from his mug, nearly burning his mouth. He’d been on a bus heading toward San Francisco, hoping to eventually make his way to the East Coast. He’d need to find what passed for a bus stop in this tiny-ass town and see about planning his next moves. He rummaged through his pockets, hoping to find something that would reveal how he had ended up in the complete opposite direction than the bus had been heading, and into this diner.

He dumped a few wrappers, his sunglasses, a lighter, and V’s (formerly Evelyn's) cigarette holder onto the table. Nothing of use, of course. And he couldn’t even smoke, since he’d made a mental promise to V not to smoke in her body since she hated it so much. Even his phone, a burner he’d grabbed after leaving V’s phone in her apartment, held no clues as to what had happened. He sighed again, for what felt like the hundredth time, tossed back the rest of his coffee, and stood. He flicked a hand to the waitress to pay before walking out the door, the bell on the door chiming as he left.

He squinted as he walked into the sunlight, and dug out his aviators before putting them on. The light faded to more manageable levels, and he began his search for the bus stop. If this podunk town didn’t have one, he was going to be pissed. Luckily the town was small enough that a fifteen minute walk around town, plus a short conversation with a very bored looking teenager running a corner store, led him to his goal.

He was messing with the computer at the terminal, looking for a bus that would get him heading in the general direction he wanted to go in, when he heard a loud commotion. He looked over his shoulder to see a crowd of tanned, rowdy people with bikes and cars laughing as they parked and walked down the street. Nomads. It was strange to see them this close to a town, since they usually stuck to their own camps, but he supposed they had to stop and get supplies every now and then. He shrugged, and turned back to fiddling with the computer. 

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him, and before he could react he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, I just wanted to say, I love your -” a familiar voice started, and he couldn’t help but whirl around. There, standing before him, was V. _His_ V.  


“Whoa, what the fuck?” She exclaimed, immediately pulling out her gun. He absently noticed that she still had his pistol, and couldn’t help but internally smirk a little. He knew his guns, and that one was far above any other he had seen in Night City. He put his hands up non-threateningly, and took a step back.

“What are you, some fucking clone sent from Arasaka? I’m warning you, one scream from me and you’ll have to deal with an entire clan of pissed off Nomads,” V threatened, pointing her gun at him again for emphasis.

“Fuck V, I know you’re not that stupid. Why the fuck would Arasaka send a clone of  _ yourself  _ to some random-ass town in the middle of nowhere?” Johnny said, rolling his eyes. V’s gun dropped a little, and she looked at him more intently.

“What are you then? And why are you talking like you know me? I know I don’t have any long-lost twins running around or anything. Maybe I’ve finally cracked. God knows Johnny would get a kick out of this bullshit,” She said, scoffing. Johnny’s smile widened, and he gave her a wink.

“V, if I wasn’t the one currently inhabiting your body double I’d almost certainly be egging you on right now. Sex with your clone? Shit, even I’d have done it back in the day if I’d had the opportunity.”

“Wha-  _ Johnny _ ? Is that  you ?” V said, sputtering, lowering her gun fully.

“In the flesh. Or rather, in  _ your _ flesh, as it were,” He laughed, leaning against the side of the bus stand. “And before you ask, I’ve got no fucking clue how I ended up here. Last thing I remember was sitting in a bus getting out of Night City, and then I woke up here.” Johnny said.

V holstered her gun, and before Johnny could react she walked up to him and pulled him into a tight hug. She pressed her head against his, and he could hear her shuddering breaths as she held him.

“Fuck, Johnny, I’ve missed you so much. Feels like every time I go somewhere I’m always looking around, waiting for you to pop in with some snarky comment.” She said, hugging him tighter. Johnny let out a tight breath, then fully relaxed into her hug and tightened his own arms around her.

“I’ve missed you too, V. Hard not to, when it’s your face I see staring back at me every time I look in the mirror.” He said, and she pulled back to look him in the face.

“About that, how the hell are you in my body? I was too much of a coward to let you take my body, I left you with Alt back in the Net.” She said, frowning lightly.

“What are you talking about, V? One too many knocks to the head leave a few screws loose? No, you gave your body up to me and stayed with Alt.” Johnny said. They looked at each other for a moment in total confusion, before separating.

“How can we remember the exact same moment, but have them end completely differently? Feels like the plot to some shitty holo,” V said, crossing her arms. Johnny shrugged, looking around.

“Got no clue, V. Like I said, I just woke up here. Anything strange happened to you in the past few days?” Johnny asked. V opened her mouth to respond, but instead her hand flew up to her mouth as she coughed violently for a few moments. She glanced down at her palm with a frown, then shook her hand off, small droplets of red flying off.

“Shit, V, I guess Alt was right about your body.” Johnny said.

“Yeah, I’m not doing too hot right now. But we’re on our way to meet with some of Panam’s contacts, we got some hopeful news from a techie living out in Austin, Texas. We’re on our way to meet him now, and hopefully he’ll be able to help.” She replied, looking up at the sun’s position for a moment.

“Actually, we were only doing a quick stop here before we left again, I’ve been talking to you for too long. Someone’s bound to wonder where I’ve wandered off to pretty soon.” V said, rubbing the back of her neck and sighing in exhaustion. She looked at him, then back toward where the other Aldecaldos had parked. He could see the conflict in her face, so he decided to answer her unasked question.

“Well, I really didn’t have any plans other than aimless wandering, so since you’d be lost without me guess I better come with.” Johnny said lightly.

“Aww, you really do care about me! Guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder,” V smirked. “I’ll have to check with Panam, but once I explain things to her I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you tagging along.” 

As she started to walk off, Johnny caught her shoulder and made her look back at him. He couldn’t help but shiver internally, thinking about the last time he had grabbed V’s shoulder. 

Maybe that memory made him bolder, as he couldn’t help but say “V, I really have missed you. More than you probably understand. I’ve been doing nothing but sitting and thinking about you for the past few weeks, trying, somehow, to figure out a way to move on. But you changed my life, showed me how much of a bastard I was and what I could have had if I’d been able to see past my head up my own ass for a moment. I have no fucking clue how I ended up here, or what’s going to happen next, but I’m glad I’ll be with you to see it through,” He said, squeezing her shoulder.

V smiled at him, and he swore he could see a hint of tears shining in her eyes. She put her hand over his, and squeezed it.

“I’m glad, Johnny. Whatever happens, I feel like I’ll be able to face it with you at my side. Us together, that’s how it was always meant to be. Maybe the universe just realized the mistake it had made. I might have been pissed at you for the majority of the time we knew each other, but you grew on me like a fungus. There’s no one I’d rather have with me than you,” She said, and with a final squeeze she let go of his hand, and he let it slide off her shoulder.

“Now enough with the mushy talk, come on! Let’s go talk to Panam, I can introduce you to everyone. Damn, we’re going to need some kind of explanation for everyone as to how my body double appeared,” V said, walking toward the Aldecaldos grouped around their vehicles. 

“They’re idiots, they’ll believe anything you tell them. Shit, we can just say it’s a total coincidence and they’d probably just shrug and go with it.” Johnny said with a laugh, shoving his hands in his pocket. V laughed with him, and with a bump to his shoulder they walked toward the group, and toward a brighter future than he’d been facing just a few hours ago.

“Oh, and Johnny?” V said, looking at him.

“Yeah, V?”

“Come find me when you wake up, I’m waiting for you.”

* * *

With a gasp, Johnny opened his eyes. He looked around, and the bus had pulled to a stop. People were filtering off, and outside the window the bustle of San Francisco met his eyes. Johnny closed them with a sigh, and he balled up his fists and pressed them against his eyes. It was just a dream, of course it was. He’d been a piece of shit his entire life, so good things wouldn’t just magically happen to him. He’d dared to hope for a second that he could have V back, maybe even start to atone for the mess he'd made of her life, but waking up had crushed that hope into dust.

But V’s parting words stuck in his head, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if she actually was out there somewhere, waiting for him?

Johnny grabbed his duffel bag out of the cubby above his seat, and walked off the bus. He looked around, and after spotting the nearest ticket counter walked towards it.

“I need one ticket to Austin, as soon as possible.”


End file.
